I LOVE the 3 movements from Petrouchka! I'm working on the (solo) Russian Dance right now

I don't really have any big competitions very soon... a couple concerto competitions, for which I'm working on the Prokofiev 3rd. Mainly I'm working on some pieces for a recital I'll give in April. The program should look something like this:

Beethoven Sonata no. 26 (the Les Adieux) - Complete

Ondine (from Gaspard)

1st mvt from the Prok concerto (w/ my teacher as the "orchestra" on a second piano)

And then for an encore I'll probably play the Brahms 118/2 intermezzo (sooooo beautiful )

Apart from that stuff, I'm also working on the 4th Ballade of Chopin, and a Bach p&f (can't remember which one right off... it's from book I of the WTK), for when I start auditioning for colleges next year.

_________________The sentence below this is false.
The sentence above this is true.

I've worked on all three of those Chopin preludes, and both of the etudes, and I think I could perform 10/3 but I was never able to get past tension issues with the 25/12. I also fiddled a bit with the Mozart fantasy last semester but there's just other stuff I'd rather play. But if I had to choose between Mozart and Schoenberg I'd embrace Mozart with tenderness and glee.

I've worked on all three of those Chopin preludes, and both of the etudes, and I think I could perform 10/3 but I was never able to get past tension issues with the 25/12. I also fiddled a bit with the Mozart fantasy last semester but there's just other stuff I'd rather play. But if I had to choose between Mozart and Schoenberg I'd embrace Mozart with tenderness and glee.

i haven't touched the ocean

i'm almost a bit scared of it, and for no good reason, other than that I saw a 10-year old play it at a level that would put me to shame, easily.

The mozart fantasy, I want to play just because there's very little Mozart that i like, so I wanted to get something in my favorite key... so i picked it.

_________________Good morning, my name's AJ. I've been playing piano since January of 2004, as a sophomore in college, and I changed my major to music. It's all I love now.

Anyway, the Revolutionary doesn't scare me that much, as I started playing some of it a few years ago (when I first started, I was very overzealous... four months into playing, I played Mozart's K397 flawlessly in a recital, and my teacher praised me for it... gave me a big ego at first, so I attempted the Rev. a week later... That humbled me back down quite a bit, but the two sections I learned, I kept playing for years after.

The Tristesse Etude... I performed it about three years ago (yes, my teacher made me do it a year into playing... killed me... KILLED me )

But as you can see... a year into music, one doesn't know music theory very well...I had only one semester of music theory, and my history classes hadn't reached the Romantic era yet... I didn't even know who Chopin was except that he was a Pole with a big nose that composed the Revolutionary etude. I didn't understand the middle section, and relied completely on muscle memory for playing it... It was probably the worst performance of the etude that has ever been done.

Back to Mozart...

I like his c and d minor fantasies, the 23rd piano concerto, the requiem, and the magic flute... everything else he composed (i've heard most of it... box set with everything, and i've yet to listen to maybe two cd's)... is... well... today's pop-music.... i just get really bored with it and being able to predict each chord progression really bothers me.

_________________Good morning, my name's AJ. I've been playing piano since January of 2004, as a sophomore in college, and I changed my major to music. It's all I love now.

Yes, it helps to at least understand the fully diminished 7th chord to play/memorize the middle section of the 10/3.

So you also use your understanding of harmony to memorize? I do that, and I have always done that, even before I studied theory, but some people I have talked to think that's strange.

I did understand what the chords were... but I didn't know what their function was... I went back to it after my third year of theory and I understood where it Chopin was going. I just need to find the time to get to it. I have so much to work on for my teacher right now, that relearning this piece is a slow process.

_________________Good morning, my name's AJ. I've been playing piano since January of 2004, as a sophomore in college, and I changed my major to music. It's all I love now.

FYI, mixah, to make sure that your quote tags work, there is a spot in your profile to disable HTML, and there is also a box below each post if you don't wish to make a permanent setting change - this should fix the problem.

The last time I worked on the 10/3, it was after a failed attempt at the 25/12, and the process became mostly an exercise in relaxation - it was very difficult for me to learn to play the virtuoso passage on p.3 without tension in my hands (and because of the position on the keyboard, especially in my right hand), and learning that technique of relaxation made it possible for me to play the rest of the middle section with much more ease than I had managed before.

FYI, mixah, to make sure that your quote tags work, there is a spot in your profile to disable HTML, and there is also a box below each post if you don't wish to make a permanent setting change - this should fix the problem.

The last time I worked on the 10/3, it was after a failed attempt at the 25/12, and the process became mostly an exercise in relaxation - it was very difficult for me to learn to play the virtuoso passage on p.3 without tension in my hands (and because of the position on the keyboard, especially in my right hand), and learning that technique of relaxation made it possible for me to play the rest of the middle section with much more ease than I had managed before.

My BBcode is on in my profile, and I just checked it now again... yeah... dunno.

_________________Good morning, my name's AJ. I've been playing piano since January of 2004, as a sophomore in college, and I changed my major to music. It's all I love now.

learning:
Mozart-Piano Concerto no.26 "Coronation" (complete)
Beethoven-Piano Sonata in D op.10 no.3
.almost done with these 2 so I on my own decided that i really need new pieces
so...
Schumann-Papllions op.2 (much more managable then Abegg for me)
Rachmaninoff-Prelude in D op.23 no.4 (decided that I wanted to play Rach again, I used to hate it so much!!! Thanks to my best friend, his playing motivated me to learn this and it has made it alot easier foe me)

still working on: 3 mvts from Petruskha(plenty of time for this one)

I had to put op.2 no.3 aside just because my L.H really can't trill right now and actually aside from this issue i'm practically done

after holidays end I will continue with Mozart Sonata K.310 and probably add a Liszt Etude in. I have also worked on Beethoven's Pathetique so it's time to finish it off!

I'm not learning anything right now, save the Quartet from Rigoletto. I am, however, enjoying moments of repeatedly pounding on the keys with my fists and screaching like I was short-changed in the crotch by a size 14 boot.

...stress reliever indeed.

_________________Madam, what makes you think that I play with my hands?

I'm not learning anything right now, save the Quartet from Rigoletto. I am, however, enjoying moments of repeatedly pounding on the keys with my fists and screaching like I was short-changed in the crotch by a size 14 boot.

Chopin 25/7, Beethoven Op. 110 (still), and Bach Partita in E minor (still, this time the Allemande and Courante). Now all I have left on the Partita is the Gavotte (been putting that one off) but I have some serious work to do on all movements still, especially the Toccata.

I just added Chopin's nouvelles etude #1 in f minor to my fall recital program. I've never worked on it before, but I've loved it for a long time. I'll be reworking the toccata from Bach's e minor partita this summer, learning the gavotte (last movement, woo!) and trying to polish the other movements that I've already worked up. I need to add ornaments to A section repeats.

It's been a while, so just thought I'd post an update. Right now I'm not working on a whole lot... finishing up Chopin's 4th ballade (I have to learn the coda still...), and going to start one of the Liebermann Gargoyles next week once I get the score (still haven't decided whether I'm going to do the 1st or 4th... leaning towards the 4th though). Also soon I'll be reworking the complete Les Adieux sonata. Those three pieces (Beethoven, Chopin, Liebermann) will be for a competition in October.

Other than that, I think I might be starting a concerto (hopefully complete this time) soon. Haven't decided which one yet... if Mozart, no. 23. If Beethoven, no. 3. If romantic, I'm hoping Rach. 4. We'll see...

_________________The sentence below this is false.
The sentence above this is true.

Bach/Petri Sheep May Safely Graze (hard to practice due to its beauty)
Bach French Suite no. 6 in E major
Bach P+F no. 2 in C minor (from WTC 1)
Mozart Sonata in C major K. 330 (this one seems to be popular in this thread)
Liszt Liebestraum no. 3 in Ab major

... This website is orgasmically amazing!

_________________Beauty is truth, truth beauty, - that is all/Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. ~ Keats

I listen to Horowitz's recording from Moscow of the Mozart k330 allll the time. it makes me happy

Me too! Lang Lang's rendition is also good; no quite as ingenious, but errs more on the conservative/accurate side. As for "sheep may safely graze", I saw Yeol's sweet rendition, but I think Greg Anderson's is even more beautiful (voicing, tempo, acoustics..); check it out:

i'm almost done with all of these pieces, right now my concerto,sonata& romantic piece are close to being done...still have quite alot of work to do on Estampes though

for school (yr 2 sem 1): still on hols, so i'm taking my time
Liszt Gnomereigen
Scarlitti Sonata in d minor Kk.141

my canada teacher whom i'm still in contact with (i still consider her as my teacher and she still is) assigned me this lot of pieces or rather asked me to pick a piece or 2 from each of these:Liszt Transcendental Etudes, Annees de Pelerinage-Swiss,Schubert Waltzers,Brahms Intermezzi as well as Schumann's Scenes from Childhood*& Abegg*(must learn), however RCM just released a new exam LRCM which is to be taken after ARCT (2 years after is the recommended time) and she is very eager to have me take it, well i'm just excited. Now I have given a task of choosing rep from the syllabus. will still have to finish the pieces assigned though...

Haven't been on this thread in a while... I'm now working on Mozart k. 311, Prokofiev 3rd Sonata, and Liszt's second ballade. Whenever I have my next lesson my teacher is getting me a score for the Mozart D minor concerto also... and 3 weeks from today I'm playing Chopin's 4th ballade and the 3rd Liebermann gargoyle together with the 3rd movement from Mozart k311 at my teacher's studio recital! We'll be recording it. It should be fun.

_________________The sentence below this is false.
The sentence above this is true.

I just started working on Hindemith's 3rd sonata. I should know by the end of Christmas break whether or not I will be able to work it up in a year, for my senior recital. It scares me. I'm already signed up to play Beethoven Op. 110. I have already played the 1st and 2nd movements for juries, though they could use some more work, but the third movement scares me. Or the 3rd and 4th movements, if you prefer. I have also started working on the Bach c minor partita. It has been 'next in line' for some time now - I think the two years I spent with the e minor partita will help me learn this one more quickly.

Anyway, my teacher says that this program is all German so far, and it's just dying for something French. I can't play Chopin again, sadly, and he doesn't really count as French anyway. I have had tons of suggestions thrown at me - Debussy, Ravel, etc. - but I haven't really fallen in love with any of that music.

Any suggestions? Whatever it is, it shouldn't be too difficult. I have a lot on my plate already with the Germans. But it also shouldn't be too small. Would probably have to be Romantic or Impressionist, since I have to draw from different periods for each piece on the program, and Hindemith is smack in the middle of the 'modern' era and therefore disqualifies most of it, no matter how different the style might be. I have just listened to all the Debussy and Ravel I have on iTunes, and the only stuff I like sounds too hard.

If you're looking for something French, you could always check out the music of Alkan (Some of his etudes are BRILLIANT. Check out Le festin d'Ésope), Vierne's piano works (some of his preludes are damn cool, I personally love the F# Minor Prelude), Satie (We all know of my love for him...), and my latest "discovery," Gabriel Pierné. His piano works are rather awesome-tastic.

But if you're feeling adventurous, feel free to explore around the area of Jehan Alain.

_________________"This is death! This is death as this emanation of the female which leads to unification ... death and love ... this is the abyss." This is not music", said [Sabaneev] to him, "this is something else..." - "This is the Mysterium," he said softly.

Terez, why not Debussy? Some of the Preludes are doable at your level. Also many early Scriabin's Preludes are manageable and require a kind of technique not much different from Chopin's. You could make up a nice selection of one or the other. If the Hindemith scares you (and I'd understand why), consider some other easier modern sonata, like Kabalevsky's 3rd (Monica's recently recorded it, but you can find other interpretations on YT - notably, one by Horowitz). But I don't even know if you are you interested in Russian repertoire (beyond Shostakovich)...

_________________"A conclusion is simply the place where you got tired of thinking" - Anonymous

Terez, why not Debussy? Some of the Preludes are doable at your level. Also many early Scriabin's Preludes are manageable and require a kind of technique not much different from Chopin's. You could make up a nice selection of one or the other. If the Hindemith scares you (and I'd understand why), consider some other easier modern sonata, like Kabalevsky's 3rd (Monica's recently recorded it, but you can find other interpretations on YT - notably, one by Horowitz). But I don't even know if you are you interested in Russian repertoire (beyond Shostakovich)...

Well, I did consider some Russians (Rachmaninov and Scriabin), but my teacher said French, so I'm looking into the Frenchies. I have never been overly fond of Debussy. His music is nice, but it doesn't really move me. I have also never really heard anything by Kabalevsky that moved me, though I honestly haven't listened to much Kabalevsky.

Satie is one that I hadn't considered though, and he is early enough to not conflict with Hindemith. I will look into him on YouTube. I have heard a few of his pieces, but I can't really say I know any of his music.

Edit: I should probably add that, if I'm going to work on something difficult, I have to LOVE it. Beethoven 110 pushes that line for me - I do love it, but sometimes I wonder if I love it enough to put all that work into it. Beethoven's pianism doesn't appeal to me, but the music is for the most part good enough to overcome that for me. I'm still not completely convinced by his fugue, though he does some nice things with it. The Hindemith, I think I might actually love more than the Beethoven. There were some parts of Hindemith that I found to be unconvincing, but I have been doing some experimenting with pedaling and articulation, and I think I can make something interesting out of at least some of those bits. But I like the idea of having these sonatas on the program together, so I think I will stick with them. I only wish I could do Chopin's 2nd sonata as well....

Edit: I should probably add that, if I'm going to work on something difficult, I have to LOVE it. Beethoven 110 pushes that line for me - I do love it, but sometimes I wonder if I love it enough to put all that work into it. Beethoven's pianism doesn't appeal to me, but the music is for the most part good enough to overcome that for me. I'm still not completely convinced by his fugue, though he does some nice things with it.

GAAAAA! How dare you?! Such a beautifully handelian fugue...

_________________"A conclusion is simply the place where you got tired of thinking" - Anonymous

I looked up Satie and did not find anything I like. If I'm going to go Impressionist I might as well go for Debussy....

How DARE you refer to Satie as an Impressionist?!? His music is not Impressionist in the slightest!!! He is quite literally classified as his own creation, as he does not neatly fit into any one or two styles.

I'd actually suggest you look a little further into his works. Once you move aside the Gymnopedies and Gnossiennes (that EVERYONE plays. Hell, I even have recordings up of them. Should show you how worth-while those must be. ), some of his other stuff is quite interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJQGM3MfqmI - Gnossienne #4. I know I just told you to ignore these... but this one isn't played quite as much (not actually a true Gnossienne really), but it's quite lovely and haunting. And WICKED easy to learn. I can sight-read this shit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5kfd6htVhc - Embryon Desseches #3. Try to ignore the ridiculous dancing please. >_> The music itself is quite good, almost makes me think of something Shostakovich would have toyed with. Gotta love the very sarcastically over-done coda at the end.

http://server3.pianosociety.com/protect ... -mansi.mp3 - So yeah... I really don't like that I'm linking my own recording here... but I can't find any decent recordings on youtube, and I'm too lazy to search elsewhere. >_> Not that I purport my own recording to be very good... but the only copy I could find on youtube was quite horrendous. And I'm actually sorta... pleased (?) with my own recording of this except for one slightly messy run. ANYWAYSSSSSSSSS... my favorite piece by Satie. Delightfully sarcastic and perverted. Just my style. I like to call it my "evil-clown music."

_________________"This is death! This is death as this emanation of the female which leads to unification ... death and love ... this is the abyss." This is not music", said [Sabaneev] to him, "this is something else..." - "This is the Mysterium," he said softly.

I looked up Satie and did not find anything I like. If I'm going to go Impressionist I might as well go for Debussy....

I replied twice and both times forgot to mention Poulenc. Much of his piano music is technically demanding but you could nevertheless sample some of it and make an opinion for yourself.

Poulenc appeals to me more than Debussy, and I've mentioned him to my teacher. She seems to think that, as a piano major, I am doing something wrong by ignoring Debussy and Ravel in favor of other folks who were influenced by them, but she didn't nix Poulenc. I am only really familiar with his sonata for flute and piano, though, and I listened to the Trois Mouvements Perpetuels when you posted them forever ago. My teacher suggested the Trois Pieces. There is some hint in those sets of what I loved in the flute sonata, but not much. Other than that, the only Poulenc I can call to mind was a bit of chamber music that was played on a recent recital, with a strange instrumentation including trombone. I want to say it was called a sonata, but I'm not sure. The first movement was incredibly functional, to the point of being boring, but there were some interesting things going on in it, in the trombone, and there was more of the Poulenc I like in the 2nd and 3rd movements, if I remember correctly.

I made the mistake when working on the Bach e minor partita of not working on the gavotte until nearly the end, because it didn't really speak to me until then. So I was having the same sort of feeling about the courante of the c minor partita (actually a corrente, isn't it? as opposed to the courante in the e minor partita, or is it the other way around?). Anyway, yesterday I had a 30-minute drive or so to make to get to the piano I like to practice on, so I put it on repeat on my iPod and listened to it the whole way there. Now it's one of my favorite movements in the partita, and I already liked all of the other ones, which is pretty much the same thing that happened with the e minor gavotte (it ended up being my favorite of the dances with the exception of the gigue). I think the reason they didn't grow on me from the page is obvious for both - with the e minor gavotte, it was the apparently polyrhythmic notation that put me off, and with the c minor courante (or corrente) it was the long notation. But I'm glad I got that out of the way early on so that I can work on the whole partita at once, rather than movement by movement (though I imagine that the capriccio at least will not be ready until closer to the recital - I've played the sinfonia before, and I also played around with the rondeau some in days past, so I've got that helping me).

Maybe you would like Poulenc's Intermezzo in A-flat? It's not the hardest or longest thing he ever wrote, but it's got a lot of interest (at least for me).

_________________Though everything else may appear shallow and repulsive, even the smallest task in music is so absorbing, and carries us so far away from town, country, earth, and all worldly things, that it is truly a blessed gift of God.

How DARE you refer to Satie as an Impressionist?!? His music is not Impressionist in the slightest!!! He is quite literally classified as his own creation, as he does not neatly fit into any one or two styles.

Well, some say Debussy was the only Impressionist. But the things of Satie that I listened to were nearly all quite similar to Debussy in harmony. Some of the things you posted are not, though.

demon boy wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJQGM3MfqmI - Gnossienne #4. I know I just told you to ignore these... but this one isn't played quite as much (not actually a true Gnossienne really), but it's quite lovely and haunting. And WICKED easy to learn. I can sight-read this shit.

I liked that one, but the ending was weird.

demon boy wrote:

http://server3.pianosociety.com/protected/satie-descriptionsautomatiques-3-mansi.mp3 - So yeah... I really don't like that I'm linking my own recording here... but I can't find any decent recordings on youtube, and I'm too lazy to search elsewhere. >_> Not that I purport my own recording to be very good... but the only copy I could find on youtube was quite horrendous. And I'm actually sorta... pleased (?) with my own recording of this except for one slightly messy run. ANYWAYSSSSSSSSS... my favorite piece by Satie. Delightfully sarcastic and perverted. Just my style. I like to call it my "evil-clown music."

That was interesting. Too short though. The gnossienne might be long enough, and I think I like it more anyway.

Also, the Poulenc intermezzo was nice. I will have to listen to it again a few times.

Right now Rachmaninoff 2nd piano concerto for a performance on February 20th(with 2nd piano) and March 2nd(with orchestra)
Then I have new pieces by American composers lined up for concerts and recording projects, including pieces by the following composers:

_________________Though everything else may appear shallow and repulsive, even the smallest task in music is so absorbing, and carries us so far away from town, country, earth, and all worldly things, that it is truly a blessed gift of God.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum